Tet Two, Brute?
Here’s what Powerline has to say about the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon so far, and the present ceasefire:
So Hezbollah goes out on top. My guess is that the IDF has had quite a bit of success in killing terrorists, but that will go largely for naught as no one knows about it, and Hezbollah’s claims of victory will be deemed credible.
Tet, anyone?
There was a famous comment by an NVA Colonel in Vietnam during the final negotiations of that long ago but still hugely influential war, which I wrote about in this segment of my “A Mind is a Difficult Thing to Change” piece. I offer the quote once again:
“You know you never beat us on the battlefield,” I [Harry G. Summers Jr., American negotiator] said to Colonel Tu, my NVA counterpart.
“That may be so,” he said, “but it is also irrelevant.”
My observation:
Lessons learned from Vietnam: all that is necessary to win a war against the US is to turn domestic public opinion against it, even if you are militarily outclassed, even if you are defeated in every battle. It’s a lesson that was not lost on our current opponents.
Nor on Israel’s current opponents, as well. Although in the present case I would emphasize “international public opinion” rather than domestic.
During the entire thing most of the reports on Israel’s success were based on reports from Hizbolla. The ones that Israel released were deemed too good and unlikely. The vast vast majority of pictures and stories out now are Hizbolla claiming victory so we already know how it is being portrayed.
As to if it is a victory or loss – hard to say right now. Give it a few weeks, maybe even a few months. Total destruction of Hizbolla was never the aim (for one thing, it is not possible). Even if it is a “victory” for Hizbolla they can not stand more than a few of them while Israel could live on this type of defeat for decades.
Was it to create the situation for a civil war – one in which we could side with the Lebonese govt? Was it just to remove the ability to attack Israel at will? Was it something else? Dunno, that also colors if it is a victory or not.
I would say enough infrastructure was destroyed to cause major problems for at least a decade. I would also bet that thier ability to attack is greatly degraded. And, lastly, I would bet that they aren’t terribly far from a civil war (if the Lebonese govt won then Israel wins, if Hizbolla does then they should have a stronger position in the next war with them). Can’t say I approve of quitting now and it may very well *be* a defeat of Israel (in the same way Vietnam was a defeat for us), but we do not know enough yet to know if they did the right thing.
Neo, beyond that awful, but so appropriate play on words, the balance sheets on combat operations take a while to be compiled.
I’d say that the damage to the Hez in terms of fighters lost, infrastructure destroyed and ordinance expended as well as the hash the whole thing made of Iran and its client Syria long term plans leave the Hez and its patrons far into the red.
Of course, Israel lost quite a bit as well especially in revenue and young men.
We are going to lose.
My take is that the “cease-fire” won’t last but a few days. Then, Israel can take the fight to Syria (when it’s shown that the Syrians are attempting to resupply Hez across the border), the U.S. can jump in aiding an ally that was attacked under the auspices of a UN-brokered cease-fire, and nobody will be able to b***h (out loud) that we attacked unprovoked. Does *anyone* outside of a few utopian moonbats believe that anything like a truce will obtain?
Isn’t that the meaning of “hudna,” truce in Arabic: long time to reload.
stcpy wrote
“And, lastly, I would bet that they aren’t terribly far from a civil war (if the Lebonese govt won then Israel wins, if Hizbolla does then they should have a stronger position in the next war with them). Can’t say I approve of quitting”
The biggest failure of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon was to unite the Lebanese behind Hezbollah – Christians, Muslim and Druze – quite an achievement.
Not what they had in mind – but Hezbollah is Lebanon, make no mistake, – and the Lebanese don’t forget the 1982 invasion or the reasoning behind it – all spared of course, from the naive ears of Americans, with good reason.
I’m surprised Neo hasn’t mentioned the buzz story of the day – the Seymour Hersh revelations about joint U.S/Israeli plans BEFORE the soldier abductions to pave the way for a succesful(in their dreams)military operation against Iran.
Which was entirely predictable – and just as stevie and Yahmir posted on this very site some time ago….
Because, you know, militaries are NEVER supposed to make contingency plans ahead of time. They’re supposed to be like Star Trek and figure stuff out after it happens; never plan for energy beings taking over the ship, never plan for transporter malfunctions, not bother to keep extra dilithium crystals on board…
In case the sarcasm was too thick…
If our military does NOT have quite detailed plans on how to invade Iran (and N.Korea and a bunch of other less likely eventualities) then the President and all of his Generals should be fired.
Oh, and I hope we have at least a few people making plans in case we’re visited by aliens, hostile or not. I don’t *believe* in aliens but that’s not the point. I hope we have plans for a human vector avian flu. If we do it doesn’t mean the government plans on spreading avian blue on purpose, does it?
I hope we have more than one military plan concerning Iran so that IF the need ever arose the president, this one or the next one, can chose the one most suited to the situation.
And if it’s never needed? Well, that would be grand.
suzy’s probably just another stevie/yhamir/neoconned sock puppet.
“the buzz story of the day – the Seymour Hersh revelations about joint U.S/Israeli plans BEFORE the soldier abductions to pave the way for a succesful(in their dreams)military operation against Iran.”
Now that was a dumb comment. As Synova pointed out, every government on this planet has military contingency plans covering hundreds if not thousands of scenarios. If Hersh is making this out to be some dark conspiracy by Israel/US, then he is an idiot.
Trolls seem to not realize that they leave a fingerprint here, despite shifting IPs and the like. So it’s really not so hard to discover that the formerly obscene Stevie, AKA “Yahmir,” has gotten in touch with his feminine side and made an appearance as “suzy,” who expresses admiration for the previous 2/3 of her persona.
Israel is another front ion the war with radical islam. Since the USA is, as GW Bush just said, at war with Islamic Fascism, then why not have a Declaration of War as set forth in the US Constitution. I am trying to draft a sample Declaration on my weblog. Any suggestions or assistance are welcome.
Taking Sides
Israel whould be *purer* if they reacted in anger and reactionary vengence.
Gotcha.
“Israel whould be *purer* if they reacted in anger and reactionary vengence.”
They do. That doesn’t change the point though….
But I thought you said they planned it ahead of time, suz.
The Hersch ‘revelations’ certainly given credence to Israel’s ambiguous air campaign – useless against Hezbollah but effective at destroying the infrastructure of a truly beautiful nation – a thriving Arab democracy with a young, hopeful population.
Certainly lots to think about.
I think(and others)they did.
But Israel does act in anger and reactionary vegence – targeting civlians and destroying a country so callously shows that clearly.
They don’t like Hezbollah and they don’t like the Lebanese either.
But they really hate Iran….
As I said – the two are not mutually exclusive.
Lou Reed, Walk on the Wild Side
Holly came from Miami, F.L.A.
Hitch-hiked her way across the USA
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She says, Hey babe
Take a walk on the wild side
She said, Hey honey
Take a walk on the wild side,
So stevie, how do you suppose that you have any credibility here after doing your sock puppet thing?
Lots of Hez taking long dirt naps and cooling to ambient.
Power and legitimacy ultimately come out of the barrel of a gun. It’s what happens when the guns stop that counts.
The best part is that this is just a breather until Netanyahu pushes Olmert out the door since the Hez are already in violation of the truce by refusing to allow the Leb Army disarm them and the Leb’s just bent over.
Iran and Syria no longer have a combat effective force on Israel’s border since the Hez have a little problem with Premature Rocket-ulation and lost their arsenal along with the fighters.
And, the best the left can do is send us a tranvestite troll from a country where the latest polls support Israel’s right to self defense by 80 plus percent. stevie/suzy is that Reginald the RCMP Constable knocking at your door?
Neo:
“Trolls seem to not realize that they leave a fingerprint here, despite shifting IPs and the like. So it’s really not so hard to discover that the formerly obscene Stevie, AKA “Yahmir,” has gotten in touch with his feminine side and made an appearance as “suzy,” who expresses admiration for the previous 2/3 of her persona.”
These guys are too funny! Manufacturing public opinion is something Islamofacists and ‘progressives’ have in common.
I agree whole heartedly with what harry says.
“A true American would be absolutely disgusted.”
suzy/stevie/yhamir/neoconned—how the heck would you know? You can’t even figure out who YOU are, let alone what a “true American” would think. I wouldn’t presume to say what’s on the mind of a “true” Canadian….
“The least you can do is have a sense of humour…”
Whats the last thing to pass thru the Islamofascist mind?
Shrapnel.
Yuk, yuk, yuk.
“if I were an Israeli I’d be more than a bit concerned in the event of all out war.”
Since you’re not, no one is terribly concerned about your opinion, on Lebanon, Palestine, Israel or America.
…and by the way, it’s “rebuttal”. PIYF.
Why’d you pick “Suzy”?
Suzy:
If you are an American, if I were you, I’d be concerned for my own safety in the event of all-out war.
But since I’m not you, I couldn’t care less about your safety. Good luck.
“Now lets see if you know the defintion….”
Sure do. “rebuttal” is the act of doing the following:
1 : to drive or beat back : REPEL
2 a : to contradict or oppose by formal legal argument, plea, or countervailing proof b : to expose the falsity of : REFUTE
intransitive verb : to make or furnish an answer or counter proof
to wit:
If I were an Israeli citizen, I would welcome the chance to fight two Arab nations in an all-out war. Seems that happened once before…and lasted, what, six days? It would be more difficult now, for sure, but I believe that I might, just might, be able to count on a little more help from my friends in America this time.
Here’s what one Lebanese has to say:
http://www.menapress.com/article.php?sid=1479 (sorry don’t know how to do clever links).
Ooh, I see it did the link for me. We live and learn `-)
…and as for that “cease fire”?
http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20060815/D8JGILG80.html
Apparently, Hizb’allah is as good as its word…NOT.
Synova wrote: If our military does NOT have quite detailed plans on how to invade Iran (and N.Korea and a bunch of other less likely eventualities) then the President and all of his Generals should be fired.
“How to invade” is the easy part. Obviously we’re able to crush any resistance by conventional armies since we have a huge advantage in firepower against any other army in the world.
The difficult part starts the morning after the military victory. Look at what happened in Iraq. Bush & Co. had no plan for that, which is why we won an easy military victory but seem to be hopelessly stuck in a quagmire since then.
—
Gosh, little transvestite troll, who happens to live in Canada, you caught me out.
My friends and fellow citizens are your worst nightmare. slow to anger but killing machines once started. I just love making what the Selous Scouts in Rhodesia used to call “floppies”, a very relaxed corpse. A very nice place until the UK sold them out. Now they have Bobby Mugabe, and we know how well that has worked out.
Back in the day I was good from about 600 meters to arms length; I’ve lost a step or two off my game since then. But, my sons and their cousins, men and women, make up for it. They can’t wait to get the go signal. Some will work at high altitudes and some will work a lot closer. If Syria and Iran think it’s time to fire all those shiny missiles into Israel they might find they’ve just taken the first bite of a sh*t sandwich, the last meal they’ll ever have.
I’m not too jealous though, since I’ll be working in internal security, helping round up those who just have to act out. Sort of a long finger down the throat helping the US to vomit up all the bad stuff it’s eaten for so many years.
Be sure to keep a little floor space open up there in Toronto; lots of trash will be making a run for the border. But, I’m sure that PMSH’s government will get re-elected with a stronger mandate and Constable Reggie will come to your door eventually.
Lest you think me an absolute slavering beast, I’m listening to the Monteverdi Choir in live performance and drinking a very nice Ridge Winery Zinfandel. Think of me as a “cultured fascist.”
I think I’ll quit hanging around here now since the neighborhood is going to hell and I really need to spend more time on the range.
Ah, come on – just mostly ignore the trolls. If you do then you still have time for the range (I just spent the last few hours there, though it was doing equipment repair on my bow – tomorrow is league day). Heck I can even work in both archery and a little firearms 🙂
Lets face it – the ultimate smack down isn’t arguing, anyone swayed by “suzy” isn’t going to listen to any of us anyway. It’s simply stating your analysis and noting that thiers is almost never correct and yours usually is. That gets the undecided or non-partisan, the ones we should be trying to get.
Besides, as the election draws nearer you will not find anyplace on the internet that isn’t going to hell. Even one of the cooking forums I visit with VERY strict rules gets the snide comments to the point of banning a few long time posters. Hard to get further from politics in a thread on “best brine for dill pickles”.
I wonder just what the progressives really thought they were going to accomplish, with their effort to turn the UN into a one-world government with diplomacy alone its only weapon. A world based on the pure karmic power of pacifism, perhaps? A universally enlightened society where everyone respects everyone else, everyone agrees with everyone else, and there’s nothing left to kill or die for?
What happens when people disagree with that world? Why, they’re reformed and re-educated. What happens if they pick up a stick and start beating their educators, who are armed only with words, to death? Well, that’s where all the hand-waving and gibberish about the power of the moral high ground starts.
Face it, such a world could only exist alongside an extremely vicious and cunning police force, that quickly and cleanly slays any who dissent. And the end result is no utopia, no matter how often or how loudly its citizens are forced to proclaim that it is.
But that mock paradise, with nothing worth dying for, or living for either, can be created. Indeed, it is being created throughout the Third World even as we speak. Once fully established, and all members of the older generations that remember what freedom tasted like are eliminated or take the secrets of that forbidden fruit to the grave in the name of their “better” world, it can perpetuate itself forever, and no person will ever think to challenge it… it will be “just the way things are,” forever.
If the US can’t find the courage to create a democratic, civilized worldwide government, then a tyrranical, barbaric one will eventually take over, more likely sooner than later. And we, for once, will actually deserve our share of the blame, for letting it come to pass.
As Uri Avnery (Israeli writer and peace activist with Gush Shalom) wrote today in _Counterpunch_:
http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery08142006.html
“THE MAIN lesson of the war, beyond all military analysis, lies in the five words we inscribed on our banner from the very first day: “There is no military solution!”
“Even a strong army cannot defeat a guerilla organization, because the guerilla is a political phenomenon. Perhaps the opposite is true: the stronger the army, the better equipped with advanced technology, the smaller are its chances of winning such a confrontation. Our conflict–in the North, the Center and the South–is a political conflict, and can only be resolved by political means. The army is the instrument worst suited for that.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery08142006.html
—
Well said, Tatterdemalian.
Just keep making your enlightened analysis and people will respond. I love it.
Now lets see if I get neos main point. The press wants us to think the bad guys are winning in some wars, such as Viet Nam, Iraq and now Lebanon (why again? because they are liberal?) but in other wars (Gulf War, war on terror) they correctly reported we won/ are winning. Because they are not that liberal?
signed Confused Leftist troll
“Our conflict–in the North, the Center and the South–is a political conflict, and can only be resolved by political means. The army is the instrument worst suited for that.”
I think he’s partly right. I wouldnt say that military options alone wont work.
It must be painfully obvious that negotiation alone is far less effective. The author is right though, this is a war of politics, (and of religion).
Therefore, if the ‘progressives’ could ever manage to rediscover their moral compass and get on the right side of the issue, the world can present a unified front against radical Islam and practice some real resolve.
I believe then, what military power must be used would be relatively short lived. Less civilians killed over the long run.
This way the sheiks, Imams, and clerics will feel more inclined to actually negotiate in good faith or otherwise be replaced by people who are tired of their rule.
As it is now? No. This will drag on for decades.
No troutsky, you are not confused, your are just plain ignorant and useless
What military alternatives are left for Israel?
The Israelis can take the next step and try to ethnically cleanse the
Palestinian territories. But this will simply move the boundires further
back without resolving the problem of cross-border attacks and the
inevitable longer-range rocketing of Israeli cities.
The Israelis can bomb Iranian targets. But what would be the political repercussions in Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and the rest of the region of an effort to expel the Palestinians or of an attack on Iran?
The Israelis, frustrated, are not yet able to ask themselves these questions, let alone answer them. But they will be there waiting for the next Cabinet, even one formed by a Netanyahu government should it
replace the present one.
—
If the US can’t find the courage to create a democratic, civilized worldwide government, then a tyrranical, barbaric one will eventually take over, more likely sooner than later. And we, for once, will actually deserve our share of the blame, for letting it come to pass.
Woah, that’s rich. Get over your manifest destiny and do the dishes.
What’s more likely is a disintegration of civil society in the States, democracy notwithstanding, as oil dries up or the pandemic hits (or both).
“What’s more likely is a disintegration of civil society in the States, democracy notwithstanding, as oil dries up or the pandemic hits (or both).”
Not just in the States. In Europe as well. And the lack of oil wont be the major problem.
If you dont like theocracies, its time to get on board now.
“What’s more likely is a disintegration of civil society in the States, democracy notwithstanding, as oil dries up or the pandemic hits (or both).”
Not just in the States. In Europe as well. And the lack of oil wont be the major problem.
If you dont like theocracies, its time to get on board now.
Sorry about that. All I did was hit the refresh button. I dont know why my previous post was duplicated.
If you dont like theocracies, its time to get on board now.
America will never be a muslim theocracy. lol. Not gonna happen. Worst case scenario is you don’t secure an energy supply and your society doesn’t adjust. Follow-up nasty scenario is the pandemic.
Incidentally, oil will run out and the pandemic is coming.
Incidentally, oil will run out and the pandemic is coming.
Anonymous | 08.15.06 – 1:26 am | #
Or, you can lose so many allies through stupid aggressive military adventures, double dealing and breaching international law and bilateral treaties, that those former allies decide their own energy concerns are all that counts and collude to trigger the collapse of the US$.
Agreement is the only hard part.
War *is* politics and anyone who tries to say different is blowing smoke.
Sanctions are war and anyone who tries to say they are peaceful is willfully blind that they only work by creating long term misery among the population.
Horse trading is not popularity, it’s trading what they want for what you want.
Asking nice only works when the other side already agrees with you.
War, sanctions, and treaty are all about getting the other side to change their mind. The Army is very good for getting the other side to change their mind. It’s not the only way, nor always the best way, nor fundamentally *different* from any other way. It’s all a continuation of somehow making the other guy conform to what you want. Different methods, same purpose.
Annon:
“America will never be a muslim theocracy. lol. Not gonna happen.”
At least not to us first.
Justaguy:
“Or, you can lose so many allies through stupid aggressive military adventures…
Yawn.
Or you could loose them thru the dhimmitude of their own societies.
Say hello to the encroaching Caliaphate:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/14/npassport14.xml
“Its way more likely that the US would be taken over by zionists anyway.”
I’ll take the zionism please. Hold the caliphate.
Thank you.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1219037.ece
Robert Fisk: As the 6am ceasefire takes effect… the real war begins
Published: 14 August 2006
The real war in Lebanon begins today. The world may believe – and Israel may believe – that the UN ceasefire due to come into effect at 6am today will mark the beginning of the end of the latest dirty war in Lebanon after up to 1,000 Lebanese civilians and more than 30 Israeli civilians have been killed. But the reality is quite different and will suffer no such self-delusion: the Israeli army, reeling under the Hizbollah’s onslaught of the past 24 hours, is now facing the harshest guerrilla war in its history. And it is a war they may well lose.
In all, at least 39 – possibly 43 – Israeli soldiers have been killed in the past day as Hizbollah guerrillas, still launching missiles into Israel itself, have fought back against Israel’s massive land invasion into Lebanon.
Israeli military authorities talked of “cleaning” and “mopping up” operations by their soldiers south of the Litani river but, to the Lebanese, it seems as if it is the Hizbollah that have been doing the “mopping up”. By last night, the Israelis had not even been able to reach the dead crew of a helicopter – shot down on Saturday night – which crashed into a Lebanese valley.
Trolls seem to not realize that they leave a fingerprint here, despite shifting IPs and the like.
Trolls both ignorant AND dense? I have agreed with much you’ve written, Neo, but now you have gone too far!
“So it’s really not so hard to discover that the formerly obscene Stevie, AKA “Yahmir,” has gotten in touch with his feminine side and made an appearance as “suzy,” who expresses admiration for the previous 2/3 of her persona.”
LOL!
“Democracy requires vigilance and scepticism. Neither of which is abundant in America 2006.”
Its apparently alive and well here. To a rediculous degree. (The scepticism that is)
Compare these features as currently practiced and choose accordingly:
Features Zionism Islamofacism
Democratic Govt *
Free Press *
Free Worship *
Free Expression *
Child Martyrdom *
Sorry, that didnt come out the way I wanted it to.
PIMF
That’s OK, Harry – I had a real sarcastic post about the most recent failure of the West to confront islamofacism and it wouldn’t come through. I was going to follow it with another one to the affect of asking what if we had a war without enemies – that seems to be the trend, along with rending our clothes every time a civlian supporter of terrorism gets sent to allah. Am I being too realistic here, Harry? I mean, why have high tech to destroy a house in a village that the enemy is using when the whole village can just as easily be taken out? Is it really just a matter of fiscal conservatism here? We need a war binge I think – you know, like going out to splurge in a real fancy place and buying the most expensive wine in the joint. 500 rounds of 155mm HE for every 30 houses in a contested village – how does that grab you, Harry? Should I convert to Judaism, move to Israel and run for PM ??? What the hell, in 6 months the hezzies will be fully armed and ready for round two. Let’s splurge next time, whatayasay’ to that?
Wow,
We got people quoting/invoking Fisk, Hersch, Reuters and AP, AND Stevie pretending to be suzy.
Is it “Unreliable Source Day” today and no one told me?
The question is should public (world) opinion matter? We know the knee-jerk reaction is going to be virulently anti-Israeli or anti-American no matter the prevarication. The question that matters is “what are the alternatives/consequences to action/inaction?” In matters of national sovereignty, the consequences of inaction lead to self-destruction.
It would be great to see Hezb’allah wiped from the face of the earth (their indiscriminate firing of rockets into population centers would qualify as war crimes). Israel should have taken off the gloves for this conflict. Targeted assassinations are so much cheaper and less damaging to infrastructure. Cut off the head of the snake and the body will eventually die. Anyone who attempts to organize command and control should be given the opportunity to become another martyr for the cause. Or, distribute a deck of cards and offer bounties for the terrorist leaders. Let loose the mutts of war. -CP
you’re my kind of man, cold pizza
Israel should have taken off the gloves for this conflict.
More than Israel needs to do this. Eventually the gloves will need to come off from the US and UK as well (and the French and Germans will need to put their *$#&! pants on). Its terrible that is the case, but we face a terrible enemy. Soon will be gone the laughable discussions of disrespectful treatment of a Koran, replaced with talk of how many cities are to much to flatten or eradicate.
Congratulate yourself, appeasers and apologists of terror and tyranny. What you have wrought will soon enough come to pass.
Regarding oil and energy, the US and NA have approximately 400 years worth of energy reseves in the ground. This includes shale oil and coal, as well as pumpable oil. We aren’t allowed to touch it because of, essentially, NIMBY.
There is of course the nuclear option, we are far out from that source given the cycle time from start to completion. This is one area the French did well.
Also note that the Arabs are scared to death that the West will start using its own sources as well as technological breakthroughs to decrease its dependence. Oil is the only major source of income for the ME.
It would be great to see Hezb’allah wiped from the face of the earth (their indiscriminate firing of rockets into population centers would qualify as war crimes).
Indiscriminate? Doubtful….
Full text:
http://palestinechronicle.com/story-08100682503.htm
Thursday August 10, 2006
Jonathan Cook: How Indiscriminate is Hezbollah’s Shelling?
[…]
First, we cannot easily know what Hizbullah is trying to hit because Israel has located most of its army camps, weapons factories and military installations near or inside civilian communities. If a Hizbullah rocket slams into an Israeli town with a weapons factory, should we count that as an attack on civilians or on a military site?
The claim being made against Hizbullah in Lebanon — that it is “cowardly blending” with civilians, according to the UN’s Jan Egeland — can, in truth, be made far more convincingly of the Israeli army […] the 12 soldiers who were killed on Sunday in Kfar Giladi by a Hizbullah rocket were, under Egeland’s definition, “cowardly blending” with the civilian population of that community. We know there are still civilians in Giladi because their response to the rocket barrage was quoted in the Israeli media.
My second claim was that Israel’s military censor is preventing foreign journalists based in Israel, myself included, from discussing where Hizbullah rockets are landing, and what they may be aimed at. […]
The spot where the BBC presenters have been standing, […] is in the centre of […] Haifa. So why have the BBC’s presenters been standing there calmly every day for weeks under the barrage of rockets?
Because all the evidence suggests that Hizbullah has not been trying to hit the centre of Haifa, where it would be certain of inflicting high casualties, whether its rockets were on target or slightly adrift. Instead, as BBC presenters have repeatedly shown us, the overwhelming majority of rockets land either in the mostly-abandoned port area or fall short into the bay — and on the odd occasion travel a little too far, as one did on Sunday landing on an Arab neighbourhood near the port and killing two inhabitants.
If Hizbullah’s primary goal is to kill as many civilians as possible in Haifa, it seems to be going about it in a very strange manner indeed — unless we are to believe that none of its rockets could be fired the extra 1km needed to hit central Haifa. Instead, as is clear from the view shown by BBC cameras, the port includes many sites far more “strategic” than the roads, bridges, milk factories and power stations Israel is destroying in Lebanon: it has the oil refinery, the naval docks and other installations that, yes, I cannot mention because of the censorship laws.
[…]
Nasrallah has repeatedly warned Israeli residents of areas like Haifa, Afula, Hadera and Tel Aviv that Hizbullah will hit these cities with rockets days before it has actually done so. Hizbullah can claim just as fairly that it has given I
Full text:
http://palestinechronicle.com/story-08100682503.htm
Nasrallah has repeatedly warned Israeli residents of areas like Haifa, Afula, Hadera and Tel Aviv that Hizbullah will hit these cities with rockets days before it has actually done so. Hizbullah can claim just as fairly that it has given Israelis fair warning of its attacks on civilian communities, and that any who remain have only themselves to blame.
Full text:
http://palestinechronicle.com/story-08100682503.htm
Robert,
Indiscriminate? Doubtful….
So, you have no idea how a rocket operates, do you? I mean, as opposed to a missile?
I did not think so. Look up the difference and get back to me.
Ariel, may I have the source please for your oil figures? Thanks.
Robert/Dave, you utter dolt:
The reason that Israeli soldiers were “blending” with civilians is that they had no idea they would be “targets” of the dumbest form of artillery there is. The flight time of a Katyusha is approximately 30-40 seconds. It travels at about Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound), so it hits before you hear it, like a WWII V-2. You “aim” a Katyusha by pointing it in the direction you want it to go, and hope it hits something useful. The Russians developed the rocket in WWII as an “area” weapon, designed to blanket a given area with as much high explosive as possible, and launched the rockets from multi-tube launchers in huge waves to accomplish the task. Hizb’allah launches one or two at a time, from the backs of pickup trucks, before bugging out and hoping to escape the IAF. Katyushas launched this way can hardly be said to “target” any but a random area.
Please, please, if you’re going to comment or cite a source, make sure you or the source knows the LEAST LITTLE BIT about the subject.
Re. oil:
An important 2005 study, “Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation and Risk Management,” prepared by Science Applications International Corporation for the U.S. Department of Energy, makes clear the risks. The project leader was Robert L. Hirsch, who has had a distinguished career in formulating energy policy. The Executive Summary begins:
The peaking of world oil production presents the United States and the world with an unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and, without timely mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented. Viable mitigation options exist on both the supply and demand sides, but to have substantial impact, they must be initiated more than a decade in advance of peaking.
The Hirsch report effectively undermines the standard free-market argument that as oil becomes scarcer, higher prices will necessarily stimulate more exploration, development of alternative fuels, and the more efficient use of remaining quantities. The transitional problem is timing.
Source:
“The Challenge of Peak Oil”
Richard Heinberg. The American Prospect. Princeton: Apr 2006. Vol.17, Iss. 4, pg. A22.
As if to further highlight the inaccuracies of their makeshift RPGs, Hezbollah fired Katyushas at Israel again today, only to miss and hit Southern Lebanon instead.
Oh, and check out the headline the AP decided to go with on that article. Anyone who still thinks there’s no anti-Israel bias at the AP is clearly a moron.